Chapter 196: Celebrity

“Have you packed up, Liqiang?”

“Yes I have, Brother Liang!” Yan Liqiang replied while shoving his luggage and the Horned Python Bow into a horse carriage used for transporting goods.

“How about Goldie? Don’t leave him behind by mistake.”

“Rest assured, he’s not going anywhere…!” Yan Liqiang scanned around, then whistled once. Goldie quickly dashed toward them from a flower bed nearby with its tongue sticking out. It then wagged its tail and started circling around Yan Liqiang. When Yan Liqiang gestured to another carriage beside the one which was used to transport goods, Goldie immediately jumped up the carriage and curled up in a comfortable spot he found among a pile of burlap sacks.

At this hour, the sky had just turned bright. However, the training field at one of the huge courtyards inside the Prefectural Governor’s Office was already akin to a boiling cauldron of voices. About a hundred people, a hundred rhinodrake steeds, and ten huge carriages had filled every inch of the area.

All the members of the Patrol Inspector’s party were riding on their rhinodrake steeds. The carriages were used to transport everyone’s valuables and luggages, resources like food and water they might need during the journey, and also the belongings of Sun Bingchen’s honor guards. One of the carriages among them appeared to be quite special — the carriage was sealed with galvanized iron sheet all around it, leaving only two tiny air slots at the back. It was a modified prisoner carriage which held the Pingxi Prefectural Governor, Ye Tiancheng, inside it.

Even now, Ye Tiancheng’s prisoner carriage was still vigilantly guarded by four guards at all times. Normal people weren’t allowed to go anywhere near it. Liang Yijie, who had just escorted Ye Tiancheng here, came over when he saw Yan Liqiang helping load the carriages on the training field.

Yan Liqiang had already finished packing last night. Except for Snowstorm Cloud from Shi Dafeng and Shen Teng, Yan Liqiang only had one luggage and a bow bag with the Horned Python Bow inside it; and of course, Goldie.

Due to Goldie’s meritorious performance before, it had long been regarded as a ‘godly dog’ in both Sun Bingchen and Liang Yijie’s eyes.

The thing that Ye Tiancheng had hidden was discovered by Goldie in the end. Up to this point in time, this was only known by Yan Liqiang, Liang Yijie, and Sun Bingchen. Sun Bingchen had personally ordered them not to divulge any information on their discovery of the iron case, so this matter had become a secret. Thanks to Goldie, Yan Liqiang was able to make another accomplishment.

After uncovering Ye Tiancheng’s hidden secret, Yan Liqiang felt that Sun Bingchen’s attitude toward him had become significantly friendlier and he also seemed to think even more highly of him. As a result, he was spending more time with Sun Bingchen on many occasions. For example, Sun Bingchen had Yan Liqiang stay with him more frequently when he was meeting some officials or local gentries — he also started allowing Yan Liqiang to help him manage his study room and deal with some official documents. Not only that, he would also occasionally seek Yan Liqiang’s opinions and views on certain subjects.

Everything just made Yan Liqiang feel flattered.

Not only Sun Bingchen, but Yan Liqiang could also feel Liang Yijie truly treating him as one of them when they were together. He also seemed to value Yan Liqiang words more now. For Yan Liqiang’s dog, Goldie, he even personally ordered other guards and soldiers not to beat or make fun of it.

The attitudes of Sun Bingchen’s guards and honor guards toward Yan Liqiang were also shifting as they observed all these changes. Most of them previously thought Yan Liqiang was just a lucky bastard due to his age. But now, their impressions of him were slowly changing. Even if they didn’t know the reason behind it or couldn’t wrap their heads around it, they knew for a fact that a person like Yan Liqiang, whom Lord Sun appreciated and respected, would become someone important in Sun Bingchen’s presence and that his future would be filled with boundless prospects. Therefore, who would dare to just simply offend such a youth like him?

Sun Bingchen was probably the only one who knew about the contents of the iron case. Although Yan Liqiang knew where Ye Tiancheng had hidden the iron case before and that there were a few letters and half-jade pendant which seemed like some sort of keepsake inside it, even he had never seen the content of those letters. He also didn’t know what that half-jade pendant was used for.

Similarly, Ye Tiancheng who was currently imprisoned in a dungeon had no idea that the iron case, which he had hidden so well that no one could possibly find it, had already fallen into Sun Bingchen’s hands.

“Our journey may not necessarily go smoothly, so you’ll need to keep your eyes peeled. If something happens, try not to leave the party alone. If you run into any danger, try your best to stay close to me and Lord Sun!” Liang Yijie gave Yan Liqiang’s shoulder a pat.

“Rest assured, Brother Liang. I know what to do!” Yan Liqiang nodded.

While both of them were talking, a guard came before Liang Yijie from the front courtyard. “Huangfu Qianqi brought a group of officials from Pingxi City to the Prefectural Governor’s Office. Lord Sun sent me to ask if the preparations here are done. If yes, we will prepare to leave at once to avoid keeping the officials of Pingxi Prefecture waiting!”

Liang Yijie took a single glance at the courtyard then nodded. “You may report to Lord Sun that the preparations are done. We can leave anytime!”

“Understood!”

The guard immediately jogged away.

“When we exit the Prefectural Governor’s Office later, both of us will follow Lord Sun on our rhinodrake steeds.”

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“That’s too ostentatious! I think I will stay with the party!” Yan Liqiang rubbed his nose and sulked.

“This is a request from Lord Sun. Don’t be humble or try to escape, Liqiang. You need to know how badly the rest wish to be in your position. You don’t need to worry about your family either when you are away!”

Yan Liqiang finally nodded under Liang Yijie’s burning gaze on him. “Alright!”

……

Ten minutes later, the party formed by Yan Liqiang and the rest left the Prefectural Governor’s Office. The main street outside the Prefectural Governor’s Office was already crowded by commoners in the city. Quite a number of soldiers in the city were respectfully standing a few meters apart from each other on either side of the street with spears in their hands.

Huangfu Qianqi and a group of officials in Pingxi City personally saw Sun Bingchen out from the main entrance at the front lobby of the Prefectural Governor’s Office. Sun Bingchen was talking to Huangfu Qianqi and the other officials while walking, and the rest around him nodded their heads.

After they exited the main entrance, Sun Bingchen climbed up the steed which had been prepared for him on the main street and slowly made his way toward the city gates, following a guiding official on his steed.

“Lord Sun is a great man…!”

“Lord Sun finally took care of those exploitative pests in our Pingxi City during his visit…!”

“The Shatu people in Pingxi City finally know their place…!”

“Have a safe journey, Lord Sun…!”

The commoners along the street were singing praises when the party went past them. Sun Bingchen, who was on his steed, smiled and cupped his fists at them.

When they passed by one of the junctions, Yan Liqiang spotted the families of those girls who were Ye Xiao’s victims. They were kneeling on the floor and kowtowing to Sun Bingchen to express their gratitude…

Although Ye Tiancheng had tossed the Wang Clan out as his scapegoat, it wasn’t enough to convince the masses. At least to the families of these victims, they simply weren’t convinced that the Wang Clan alone was powerful enough to achieve so many things in Huanglong County and Pingxi City while keeping them under wraps for such a long time. When Ye Xiao’s case was retried by Sun Bingchen a few days ago, the Ye Clan was exposed. Some officials in the Law Enforcement Office and those Shatu merchants who were still at large in the city were recaptured and prosecuted.

Those Shatu people, who usually created trouble at the slightest dissatisfaction, seemed to fear Sun Bingchen for his reputation this time. They were unusually well-behaved, and they didn’t attack the authorities or round up a group of people to protest on the streets.

Yan Liqiang, who would be turning fifteen after the new year, was riding beside Sun Bingchen on his fine Snowstorm Cloud. Liang Yijie flanked the other side and they attracted countless attention from quite a number of people while they were on their way.

Yan Liqiang could even vaguely hear someone among the crowd say, “Look! That youth beside Lord Sun got the first place among top three in the Martial Arts County Trial Examination from our Qinghe County last year! I heard that when Lord Sun came to Pingxi City this time, he directly went to the martial arts academy to select someone to be his armed personal attendant. That youth will surely succeed in the future by following Lord Sun around…”

“I think it indeed has been many years since anyone so talented last emerged from your Qinghe County…!”

“Of course. Do you know about the method used to save the drowned by performing moxibustion? That was passed down by that youth when he saved someone in Huanglong County last year…!”

“Wow…!”

“I heard from someone in Huanglong County that this youth can receive knowledge imparted from a deity in his dreams…!”

Astonished gasps rang out around him.

…….

Yan Liqiang never felt this special before. But when he overheard the occasional discussions on the street right now, Yan Liqiang finally and truly understood what the phrase ‘time makes heroes’ meant. In addition to the influence of his current position by Sun Bingchen’s side, things he had done in the past had been publicized. His reputation in everyone’s eyes had suddenly skyrocketed to an unimaginable extent. He was instantly made into a celebrity out of the entire Pingxi Prefecture with the characteristics of a legend. So this was how celebrities were born…

As though sensing Yan Liqiang’s thoughts, Sun Bingchen, who was riding in front, turned his head around. He stole a glance at Yan Liqiang and smiled. “You will get used to it eventually, Liqiang. Just take it easy for now!”